ROSTRAVER, Pa. — The roof of a skating rink partially collapsed while the ice was being resurfaced during a youth hockey tournament today, and emergency crews used cadaver dogs to search through the rubble for anyone who might have been trapped.
Everyone who got out of the Rostraver Ice Garden was OK, but emergency officials earlier said they didn’t know how many people had been in the building and were searching the site, about 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. In early evening, they said all people inside were accounted for.
The director of operations for Rostraver West Newton Emergency Services said a 100-by-200-foot section of the roof fell this afternoon. The cause has not been determined.
“There are some people unaccounted for,”director Mike Stangroom said.
Kim Little, a line cook in the rink’s restaurant, said people inside heard a crack while a worker was resurfacing the ice on a Zamboni, a small vehicle used to clean and smooth the rink’s surface. Minutes later, she said, the roof collapsed.
“The whole roof just fell in, and you could see the sky,” Little said.
She said a birthday party was taking place in the building, which also has banquet and meeting rooms.
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